The Loper volleyball team did not lose a set in Seaside, California on its way to winning the Otter Invite. Throughout the invite, the Lopers hit .332, up from its average of .264 last year, while holding their opponents to just a .071 average.
Ranked ninth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason poll, UNK went 4-0 against its California-based opposition. Fellow NCAA Division II member, Cal State Monterey Bay, hosted the Otter Invite. Other schools included Westmount College, Menlo College and the University of California-Merced, which have each accepted membership to becoming Division II schools in recent years. Originally part of the NAIA, they are in the three-year transition process before becoming full members and competing for NCAA Division II championships.
UNK opened the season by defeating UC Merced (25-15, 25-12, 25-21) and Westmount (25-19, 25-14, 25-18) on Friday. On Saturday, the Lopers defeated Menlo (25-8, 25-15, 25-16) and hosts Cal State Monterey Bay (25-16, 25-8, 25-15).
Eighteen players saw time on the court in California. The Lopers were led in kills by sophomore, Mia Berg, and senior, Asha Regier, with 34 and 31 respectively. Berg also tallied a team-high 11 blocks. Hillsdale College graduate transfer, Alli Wiese, recorded a team-high 51 digs over the weekend. Redshirt sophomore Lexi Stephens also added 10 service aces during the tournament. Berg and Wiese were named to the All-Tournament Team along with graduate student Peyton Neff. In addition to being named to the All-Tournament Team, Berg and Neff were also announced as MIAA volleyball athletes of the week.
This weekend the volleyball team will host the 2024 Rosella Meier Fall Classic at the UNK Health & Sports Center. Fellow MIAA member Missouri Southern, in-state rival Chadron State, University of Mary and Oklahoma Christian will make the trip to compete in the round-robin tournament. Games will start at 10 a.m. with the final match being played at 6 p.m. on both days.
The Fall Classic returns after a year away because the Lopers were unable to “attract enough teams” according to coach Rick Squiers. This year, the classic will give fans plenty of on-court action.
“I think we’re gonna see a couple of very high-quality opponents,” Squiers said.
The Lopers will play at noon and 6 p.m. on both days beginning with the University of Mary at noon on Friday which started its season 1-3 in Colorado over the weekend. UNK will play 0-4 Missouri Southern on Friday night with 4-0 Oklahoma Christian and 0-4 Chadron State to follow on Saturday at noon and 6 p.m. respectively.
All matches will be broadcast on the MIAA Network with select games also being available on the radio dial at 91.1 FM KLPR.
